Michigan Democrat nominee for Governor Jocelyn Benson is running away from her work with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in her campaign to become the state’s chief executive.
Benson, who was elected Secretary of State in 2018, worked as a volunteer researcher and undercover investigator with the disgraced organization after graduating college.
In an interview with the far-left 19th News, she stated she “researched neo-Nazi and far-right hate groups, including posing as a freelance journalist to uncover and expose the plans of white supremacist leaders and groups.”
Benson worked at the SPLC headquarters for two years before attending Oxford University and Harvard Law School.
She later served on the SPLC’s board beginning in 2014 — the same year a bombshell federal indictment alleges the group funneled $3 million to various extremist groups.
Earlier this month, the organization’s former chief financial officer Heidi Beirich was arrested and charged in the Justice Department’s case in a superseding indictment with wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to conceal money laundering.
“Donors gave their money believing they were supporting the fight against violent extremism,” said Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson in April. “As alleged, the SPLC instead diverted a portion of those funds to benefit individuals and groups they claimed to oppose. That kind of deception undermines public trust and social cohesion.”
As Benson launched her campaign for governor, she called the SPLC a “great organization” and credited her time in Alabama with the SPLC as instilling “a deep sense of inspiration and responsibility” in her.
By June, she no longer mentioned the SPLC by name, instead making vague references to “her time in Alabama” and “work in the deep south” in her early career.
Benson’s campaign has been on the defensive over the issue, refusing to answer reporters when asked whether Benson was aware of the SPLC’s alleged scheme.
Earlier this week, the Michigan Enjoyer broke the news that in May 2019, Benson and her Alabama counterpart, John Merrill, led a group of 20 Secretaries of State on a “voting rights tour” that also included Arizona Gov. and former Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.
The National Association of Secretaries of State, which helped organize the field trip, called the visit to the SPLC’s headquarters “meaningful” and tagged the Michigan Secretary of State office in the X post.
“For years, Benson touted her Southern Poverty Law Center ties, and the Southern Poverty Law Center promoted that one-time intern who rose to statewide elected official,” the outlet wrote.
Michigan House Republicans have also investigated Benson and released years of emails.
“The people of Michigan deserve answers when one of their most prominent public servants is deeply tied to an organization facing federal criminal charges,” state Rep. Jay DeBoyer said in a statement. “Secretary Benson has a long, documented history with the Southern Poverty Law Center — one that she continued even after becoming Michigan’s Secretary of State.”
“Jocelyn Benson touted her SPLC leadership for years when it served her politically, but now that the organization is under federal scrutiny, she claims her role was ‘mostly ceremonial.’ She can’t claim the credibility and dodge the responsibility,” RGA Deputy Communications Director Anna Marian Block told Breitbart News. “If Benson won’t answer for an organization she helped lead, how can she be trusted to govern Michigan?”
Benson faces Republican John James in November to succeed two-term Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. She leads James by a 49-44 percent margin, according to a recent poll by AARP.
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